Pentium II Questions Remain Unanswered

Intel continues to look into a reported flaw in the company's Pentium II chip, which officially entered the retail marketplace today. Intel spokesperson Howard High told GS News that the company has several hundred technical staffers worldwide looking into the reported flaw. Intel will post what information it has on the flaw on its web site by week's end. Said High, "we have a team of technical people who are characterizing" the reported flaw now.

High said about 100,000 chips have already shipped, and Intel reportedly continues to ship chips while its internal investigation continues.

The company took a $475 million write-down against 1994 earnings when a flaw in its Pentium chip released that year was discovered. The company instituted a "replacement upon request, no questions asked" policy at that time.

"This is a complex undertaking and we want to do a good job," High said today.